Calvinistic Doctrines Reflected in Jonathan Edwards’s “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”

Abstract

Preached on July 8, 1741, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” remains Jonathan Edwards’s most famous written work and a classic of the Great Awakening of New England. The long-famed power of this sermon rests not only in his searing images of hellfire and the insecurity they elicit, but also in the Calvinistic thoughts Edwards imparts to his Enfield listeners. This paper mainly examines some basic doctrines of Calvinism Edward expresses in this sermon, such as God’s absolute sovereignty, original sin, human depravity, and divine election, etc.